‘MY FIRM POLITICAL BELIEFS HAVE BEEN THROWN INTO QUESTION’

Lesley Thomas, 53, is a business coach at lesleyathomas.com and lives in Salisbury with her husband and two children.

As soon as I could step inside a polling station, I began voting for the Conservatives. From the age of 18, I loved that their policies allowed people to grow their own businesses, encouraged self‑sufficiency and taxation was fair and meant those with fewer opportunities could survive.

I came of voting age in the era of Margaret Thatcher, who was not only strong herself but surrounded herself with strong cabinet members.

For more than 30 years, I walked into polling stations at every election and marked a cross next to the Conservatives.

But that has now all changed. My firm political beliefs have been thrown into question. I can no longer vote Tory if Boris Johnson is Prime Minister.

We have watched the government fail to take action to fight COVID‑19, with events like the Cheltenham Festival and football matches allowed despite warnings. The Conservative Party I first started voting for accepted that businesses and entrepreneurs were the bedrock of our economy. Yet, as a small business owner, I felt as if I was offered no support during the pandemic. When my company had to effectively close, my staff luckily received furlough, but as the company director, I didn’t. Then, when

I closed my business, stayed at home and protected those around me, Dominic Cummings was testing his eyesight by driving for hundreds of miles and the PM and his cabinet were partying at No 10.

Of course, I can recognise when the government has delivered on their promises. Brexit, while not something I agreed with, was the main focus for the Conservative manifesto and Boris did get it done.

The UK’S vaccine roll‑out has been one of the most successful globally too. But while the government played its part, it was our NHS that were the true heroes.

Different kind of party

We’ve never seen an emergency of this scale in our lifetimes. We were blind sided by it. I find it hard to believe that any other party would have handled it differently but that

‘I can see no party to turn to’

isn’t to downplay the appalling way the Conservatives dealt with the pandemic.

This current Tory Party is not of the same breed as the one I was voting for previously, and at the moment I can see no real repercussions for the very clear failings. Perhaps the Met Police report will find otherwise. But Boris has surrounded himself with yes‑men who will protect him.

Until the Conservatives can figure out who their policies are aimed at, pull together a competent prime minister and cabinet and admit their failings, I won’t vote for them.

It is a decision I won’t take lightly. As a woman, my ancestors died for my right to vote, and currently I can see no desirable party to turn to. We’ve sat through and listened to excuse after excuse, and our leadership hasn’t owned up to their shortcomings even though Sue Gray’s report categorically states that there was a failure in leadership.

And when leadership fails, leaders should step down.